Opioid Panel Caps Edinboro’s Six-Part Series

“Opioids: A Public Crisis Out of Control” capped Edinboro University’s six-part series of faculty panels focusing on critical and timely issues of public concern. The April 24 event centered on the opioid crisis in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Other installments in the panel series, offered throughout the 2017-2018 academic year and featuring Edinboro faculty and other experts, included:

“Journalism in the Age of Trump” looked at the influence of digital platforms in shaping public opinion; claims of “fake news,” and President Trump’s often adversarial relationship with the media.

“The Second Amendment at a Crossroads?” focused on the issue of gun violence and the right to bear arms. Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., there have more than 200 school shootings, leaving nearly 150 people dead. The shootings have placed the Second Amendment at the forefront of political dialogue. The discussion has further intensified since the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

“MeToo: A Moment or a Movement?” involved a discussion around this wide-spread effort to fight back against sexual assault and harassment. #MeToo spread virally in October 2017 as a social media hashtag to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace.

“What to do with a man on horseback: After Charlottesville” was presented following an August 2017 white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Va., to protest that city’s plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Counterdemonstrators were there to oppose the white nationalists and the ensuing violence left one person dead and dozens injured.

“Free Speech – Taking a Knee” was a discussion on the Take a Knee movement, started by U.S. professional athletes to protest racial inequality and police brutality. The movement began in summer 2016, when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem before a pre-season game against the San Diego Chargers. Kaepernick said his action was a show of protest against police brutality targeting African Americans and other minorities.

The well-received faculty panel series is expected to continue during the 2018-2019 academic year. The panels, which have drawn crowds, are free and open to the community.